The Hard Courts

Hard courts are the most used courts in the US. Two slams use hard courts:

The US OPEN


The AUSTRALIAN OPEN



Hard courts offer the most true bounce. That means that you can guess where the ball will go after the bounce easier than clay or grass. At he US OPEN, the lines on the court are painted with a more reflective paint so that the fans can see the lines much easier at night. This paint changes the bounce slightly and gives players problems. Especially if the player likes to stand very close to the baseline.

Hard Courts, any type of courts for that matter, can be sped up or slowed down. The more layers of court they put on the concrete before painting it, the slower the court. So if you see a court so worn out that you can see concrete, expect your serve to be slightly better.

Cracks are another thing that effect hard courts. Architects think it is nice to have courts surrounded by trees to offer a little shade. But underground the trees roots can cause cracks. Crack can cause some crazy bounces.

The hard court season is usually the most grueling season in tennis because, as a trade off for the true bounce, tennis courts are really hot. If it is 90 outside, it is about 100 - 110 on the court depending on how hard the sun it beating. Shoes wear out much faster and shade is a commodity that you will welcome in lieu of the cracks. Most ALTA and USTA teams that practice in the evening can be affected by the daytime matches this way.

There is not much of a difference between the two major tournaments though. It is quite a bit hotter in Australia most of the time during the tournament. The US Open courts play faster. The fans in both tournaments are pretty rowdy. For some reason Serbians start fights at the Australian and at the US, our own US players seem to get ripped apart by linesmen with bad or disputable calls.

Hard courts are the easiest courts to learn on because, in the US, anyone can find them and play on them for free. It is one of the things that makes the USA great (in my opinion) so go to a hard court this week and swing some rackets...FOR FREE.